You promised to be with each other till forever yet death has broken you apart. Dealing with such a loss isn’t easy. It takes a lot of time to heal, and the wound isn’t ever really gone, but it does get better.

Asmaa Hussein shows women around the globe that life can go on.

Asmaa Hussein is an author, blogger and a social worker, and she’s a true inspiration. Her following started when she started writing posts on social media to deal with the loss of her husband. Many women were able to relate to her posts about how to deal with the emptiness that comes with losing a loved one at such a young age.

She was twenty-seven when her husband died. He was shot dead while attending a peaceful protest in Egypt. Asmaa was left with a nine-month daughter to take care of as a Muslim widow. She took her pain and translated it into words.

Her reflections on how to deal with life were usually personal snippets of how she was dealing with the loss and growing as a person. She has such a way with words that resonated and touched the hearts of thousands. She set out to write her first book called, A Temporary Gift: Reflections on Love, Loss, and Healing. These journal entries also dealt with the harsh world of single parenthood.

The following is an excerpt:

“Don’t curse the burdens placed on your soul. The burdens are strengthening your soul for what’s still to come. The pain is carving your heart to make grooves for tawakkul (trust in God) to take hold. The hollow thuds of pain in your chest are teaching you to knock at the door that is always answered”

Asmaa also writes about reconnecting with God in the face of adversity. Her spiritually motivated posts are a great boost to those feeling low on their spiritual energies. A faith booster, one might say.

Asmaa’s story makes you ponder on the fleetingness of our short lives. So go on, hug and kiss the person you love. Tell them you love them and do not hesitate. It can be your pet, your parents or even just yourself. Self-love is crucial too, and not at all narcissistic, trust me.

via Instagram / @ruqayas.bookshelf

Her daughter became a source of light for her in those dark times after her husband’s death. Her website, Ruqayya’s Bookshelf, is aptly named after her daughter. As Ruqayya got older, Asmaa experienced first-hand the lack of children’s books with Muslim representation.

The characters in the books she sought out were usually not relatable for her child.

I understand because, as a child, I would read books about kids with the setting being either the USA or the UK. The food mentioned in the books was always so interesting for me.

I would ask my mum, “do they always eat this? Why don’t we?” The clothing in the illustrations was surprising, too, because that is not what I saw around me. With no representation, I slowly started feeling out of place.

Asmaa took matters into her own hands and started writing a series of children’s books with Muslim representation. To date, she has twelve children’s books published.

via Instagram / @ruqayas.bookshelf

Featuring characters with Muslim names facing relatable issues, her books have now become famous around the globe.

via Instagram / @ruqayas.bookshelf

Her posts also include letters to her daughter. Those are inspired by the fact that Asmaa knows there might come a day when she isn’t there for her daughter anymore. Thus to prepare her and give her life lessons she leaves behind little diary entries for her daughter to read as she gets older.

“Don’t sleep through the things you need to experience to learn how to be a better and patient person, even if it’s easier to shut your eyes and ignore the pain.”

Asmaa truly is a motivational spiritual speaker, mother, and writer.

I know I was deeply inspired by her strength, her words, and her positive outlook on life. A strong Muslim woman who I can relate to and look up to as an amazing role model. A refreshing soul in the midst of all the chaos you see on social media. A promise that you can always heal, even after a terrible loss.